Opportunity Scholarships Act Advances From Committee For the First Time Ever May 23, 2017 -- After more than a decade of trying, the Opportunity Scholarships Act (LB 295) has advanced out of committee and to the floor for debate by the entire Nebraska Legislature. On the penultimate day of the Legislature, as state senators prepared to head home for the remainder of 2017, the Revenue Committee held a last-minute “executive session” solely to consider the fate of the Opportu... Read More...

Catholic education, an area of concern for the Nebraska Catholic Conference

We are deeply committed to supporting Nebraska’s 87 Catholic primary schools, 26 secondary schools, and more than 27,000 students through advocacy and public policy in our State Legislature. Education remains critically important in the formation of the human person by teaching how to live well now so as to be able to live with God for all eternity.

Catholic education addresses the development of the whole person through spiritual and academic formation based on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The mission of Catholic education provides a particular environment for the new Evangelization by presenting the Gospel anew within the school and parish communities.

Our schools serve both the faith community and society by educating children, young people and adults to contribute to the common good by becoming active and caring members of the communities, cities, and nation in which they live.

Prayer for the Nebraska Catholic Conference

Eternal Father, You call us to engage the world so that Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, might be made visible in the words and actions of Your servants. Through the good work of the Nebraska Catholic Conference, may the light and grace of the Gospel shine upon the many difficult problems, questions, policies and issues that arise in our secular world, which so often does not recognize what is good and true and beautiful. Grant to all of those who work in and with the Nebraska Catholic Conference, on behalf of our citizens who are often denied justice in our culture, the charity, courage and perseverance they need to do Your work in serenity, joy and peace. We invoke the intercession of Blessed Mary and all of the Saints and the Holy Angels, who stand ready to carry out Your divine will. We ask all in the power of the Holy Spirit and through Jesus Christ Your Son our Lord. Amen

Opinions....

Last year, Patrick Slattery (superintendent of schools for the Archdiocese of Omaha), explained why Opportunity Scholarships are so important. A similar bill (LB 295) has been introduced this year, and Mr. Slattery’s article is still compelling. Read More...

Catholic Schools: Communities of Faith, Knowledge and Service

Our generation will show that it can rise to the promise found in each young person when we know how to give them space. This means that we have to create the material and spiritual conditions for their full development; to give them a solid basis on which to build their lives; to guarantee their safety and their education to be everything they can be.." - Pope Francis

NCC Position Statement: 9/16/1996

Nebraska Parents who educate their children in non-government schools for religious or other reasons should be able to:

Exercise, without economic penalty, their parental rights and responsibilities to choose the education they deem best for their children

Obtain economic recognition for the substantial cost savings they provide the State and its governmental subdivisions by educating their children in non-government schools

Freely exercise their religious preferences in educating their children, regardless of their financial situation

Exercise choice and promote competition, thereby strengthening the State’s government and non-government schools

Parents are not being treated fairly under the present educational finance system. All parents are subject to the State’s mandate to educate their children, but are provided free instruction only in government schools. This creates an economic burden on parents who choose to meet the State’s mandate by providing their children with education in non-government schools.

The inequitable treatment of parents choosing non-government schools fails to recognize the cost savings they provide the State of Nebraska, and fails to promote their freedom in fulfilling their responsibility to provide the instruction they deem best for their children. Moreover, in those many instances where the parents are financially unable to assume the added financial burden, their choice is effectively denied.

Accordingly, the present system needs to be modified in order to meet the above objectives and provide a fair and equitable system for the education of Nebraska children.